Baked Pears with Hazelnut Yogurt Sauce

Baked Pears with Hazelnut Yogurt Sauce

Pears - 1 per serving
Brown Sugar
Nutmeg or cinnamon as desired
Plain yogurt
Hazelnut syrup (found in the coffee section or kitchen specialty shops)
Sweetener or sugar

Peel the pears and cut in half.  Scoop out the seeds and membrane.  I used a 'grapefruit' spoon that I have.  It is a teaspoon but has a serrated edge so it is easy to dig into the fruit.   A melon baller might work, I don't have one. 

Place pears with cut side up in a baking dish and pour in about 1/2 water.  Spoon 1/2 tsp brown sugar into the center of each pear.  Sprinkle with nutmeg and/or cinnamon as desired. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 until the pears are soft and you can pierce them easily with a fork. The length of time will depend on how ripe the pears are.  Mine were very hard and took about an hour. 

You can serve these hot, cooled to room temperature or chill - with or without the yogurt sauce. 

Hazelnut Yogurt Sauce - 

Mix 1 tsp Hazelnut syrup and some sweetener/sugar in the plain yogurt.  Adjust taste by adding more syrup or sweetener as needed. 

Other flavors can be used. I am thinking Raspberry would be good and maybe Gingerbread around Christmas time.